Turbo requirements and general advice

eman8201 · Post by **eman8201** » Sat Feb 22, 2014 8:03 pm

So I have recently acquired a 1.8 '95 mx5.
So far I had got some nice 15x7.5 -5 reverse mesh SSR's, weld in roll bar and coilovers.
I am now getting hungry for that little bit more power.

I want to know the mods required to run a turbo relatively safely, what the best turbo is to use (hoping for more than 200hp atw) and where to find it. I would like to do everything myself and as cheaply as possible without buying crappy kit. Any advice is helpful and I look forward to hearing back.

Your help is much appreciated!

Cheers!!

SLYDIT · Post by **SLYDIT** » Sat Feb 22, 2014 9:14 pm

choose a turbo. youll need something from a decent 2 liter engine such a td05 or GT25.VF10 etc
your gonna need a manifold (try sinco) about $700.
then you need a megasquirt ECU and a wide band unit and some yellow 440cc RX8 injectors, or the equivilant blue 2002+ wrx injectors at a min. you can also get the pink 550cc ones fairly cheap new.
cheap repco intercooler will be fine and a cheap plastic bosch BOV will do too.

scratch building a turbo kit is no easy task. there are shit loads of things to think about like clearing the power steering and coolant pipes oil and coolant fittings dump pipe shape. etc etc.
getting a turbo in a 5 isnt as many people think although the engine bay looks "huge" theres actually feck all room to place a turbo and all its pipework.

Angreal · Post by **Angreal** » Sat Feb 22, 2014 10:25 pm

SLYDIT wrote:although the engine bay looks "huge" theres actually feck all room to place a turbo and all its pipework.

I dunno... I've now seen quite a few V8s stuck in there firsthand so there must be plenty of room

All I can say is do lots of research before you start buying stuff and don't cheap out on fleabay manifolds etc. Then there's the fun of getting a cert

MrGrey · Post by **MrGrey** » Sat Feb 22, 2014 10:46 pm

I personally think manifolds made of boiler pipe are the best option and as Angreal mentioned, Fleabay manifolds tend to be dodgy because they make em out of cheap pipe and the welding is often dodgy (leaving little bits of grit to go into your turbo and screw it up)

for some good informational videos, the mighty car mod guys turbo'ed marty's MX5 and they make entertaining and informative viewing.

how to turbo in 5 minutes:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsfR_B5udeA

here are the full length videos (worth watching)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUKgKtMXec8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xt0M-Bs3mDI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8ZDL5eOUtE

eman8201 · Post by **eman8201** » Sat Feb 22, 2014 11:30 pm

Thanks for the feedback.

Which of the turbos you listed would you recommend? Do some require water cooling and others not? As that would just be another job and more pipe work getting in the way haha so would be nice to avoid that.

With the injectors do they go straight in? Or would I need to make some kind of modification to them or the rail?

Yea ive been looking quite a bit on the net for a decent manifold and am yet to find one. I have experienced the poor quality of the 'fleabay' manifolds hahaha, not first hand luckily. Ill try sinco next.

Ive definitely dealt with tight engine bays before (once had a fiat uno turbo, which has a horizontally mounted engine with the turbo wedged between the engine and firewall

) so im up for the challenge.

Yup thanks ive actually seen that might mod vid before and its helpful but doesn't give many options. I want to know everything before I start.

MrGrey · Post by **MrGrey** » Sat Feb 22, 2014 11:43 pm

most of these questions I will leave to the more knowledgeable guys but turbo-wise, from what I have read, commonly used turbos are the TD04, TD05, T28 and the VF10 turbos.

From what I gather, the t28 with bush bearings are the best compared to the rest that use roller bearings.

Apparently if you are running low boost (5 psi or lower) then you can get away without an intercooler but I would rather have a small intercooler than none at all.

I am pretty sure the larger injectors fit straight in

bear in mind, this is just from what I have read and heard from others and some of the other guys here are a lot more knowledgeable than I. So take this post with a grain of salt.

CordedBowl · Post by **CordedBowl** » Sat Feb 22, 2014 11:49 pm

Read up on Miataturbo, everything you need to know has been answered there before and it's a great source of information.

Watch out though, if you ask a silly question prepare your anus!

mattapo · Post by **mattapo** » Sun Feb 23, 2014 2:31 am

just copy my setup, 222Hp ATW on a mild tune
subaru twin scroll turbo
440cc injectors
megasquirt
sinco manifold
intercooler.

SLYDIT · Post by **SLYDIT** » Sun Feb 23, 2014 3:42 pm

Angreal wrote:
SLYDIT wrote:although the engine bay looks "huge" theres actually feck all room to place a turbo and all its pipework.
I dunno... I've now seen quite a few V8s stuck in there firsthand so there must be plenty of room

theres lots of room for a V8, but like i said...its the placement of the b6/bp power steering pump and hoses and the coolant lines that makes putting a TURBO on the side of the engine and locating the intake/exhaust, oil/water lines and drains all jammed around the coolant lines , getting the dump pipe past the "ledge" and brake lines etc etc etc that makes it a pain in tha arse...i should know i scratch built my turbo system of course if you fit a different engine they wont be there.

SLYDIT · Post by **SLYDIT** » Sun Feb 23, 2014 5:09 pm

oh and there is no "cheap" way to turbo an mx5 budget around $3500 to do it. any cheaper and your dreaming or cutting corners that shouldnt be cut.

siren676 · Post by **siren676** » Sun Feb 23, 2014 8:04 pm

If you can do all the work/manufacturing/tuning yourself it will be a bit cheaper.

My t25 build is up to $700 and ive only acquired the turbo, ecu and intercooler. Manifold, fueling, intercooler and turbo piping will add quite a bit on top of that.

Just remember that you'll have to get uprated brakes to pass a cert and will definitely want to look into an uprated clutch, radiator and diff to make sure the car is still reliable and can handle the power.

warrior · Post by **warrior** » Sun Feb 23, 2014 8:57 pm

Uprated brakes to pass a cert?

SLYDIT · Post by **SLYDIT** » Sun Feb 23, 2014 9:11 pm

You dont need uprated brakes for cert. Some axis ultimate pads are a good idea though

siren676 · Post by **siren676** » Sun Feb 23, 2014 9:12 pm

Edit - Really slydit? Heard that you have to go up to 1800 brakes at a minimum

SLYDIT · Post by **SLYDIT** » Sun Feb 23, 2014 9:14 pm

siren676 wrote:
warrior wrote:Uprated brakes to pass a cert?
Well yeah, stock 1600 ones wont be up to the task

Tell that to spec miata racers. Standard brakes are fine for a road car. You just need good pads

Angreal · Post by **Angreal** » Sun Feb 23, 2014 9:21 pm

Pads, legal rotors (I assume they check the minimum thickness) and fluids should get you through I'd assume... Not to mention it's just good maintenance

siren676 · Post by **siren676** » Sun Feb 23, 2014 9:22 pm

Yeah but are they running 200+hp? Certifiers can be pretty strict about that sort of stuff

Angreal · Post by **Angreal** » Sun Feb 23, 2014 9:46 pm

The pads on my LBBK are smaller than OEM. Almost tempted to put motorbike calipers on next since the ones on my bike are bigger (and sexier)

As long as you have good pads, fluids and rotors you should get through

CordedBowl · Post by **CordedBowl** » Sun Feb 23, 2014 9:47 pm

Stock brakes with proper pads are phenomenal, as SLYDIT said it's the pads that really make them work.

The 1.8's aren't a *huge* improvement over the 1.6's, but they really work well with the XP10's (they just don't look as cool as Wilwoods or slotted rotors!)

I'm running XP10s on the front and XP8's on the rear on 1.8 brakes, but the 1.6's would definitely cut the mustard with the same pads.

I am unsure however of what the certifier would think if you told him you were running 200hp on stock brakes with different pads, although they perform admirably.

warrior · Post by **warrior** » Sun Feb 23, 2014 9:47 pm

Sorry but never heard that you had to upgrade ANYTHING in the braking department. Good condition OEM is totally legal.

I agree upgrading pads, fluid etc is a good idea but it does not HAVE to be done.

SLYDIT · Post by **SLYDIT** » Sun Feb 23, 2014 9:48 pm

Mx5 will easily lock up tires. Tires on a road car will lock before you need bigger brakes. Bigger brakes just give you more thermal mass and a bit better modulation. They wont stop your road car any faster than stock rotors and good pads. 1800 discs are fine. Once you cannot lock up your brakes after five racetrack laps then think about bigger front rotors.

siren676 · Post by **siren676** » Sun Feb 23, 2014 10:01 pm

You learn something new every day. That's one expense I don't have to go through when I turbo mine

ccsfd · Post by **ccsfd** » Sun Feb 23, 2014 10:47 pm

running stock brakes on mine, 2560r 14psi boost, stops the car quite well.

Snapfrozen · Post by **Snapfrozen** » Mon Feb 24, 2014 6:30 pm

Whether your brakes are up to scratch is subjective to the certifier. They road test the car so if they decide it cant stop fast enough, you'll need to work on them

SLYDIT · Post by **SLYDIT** » Mon Feb 24, 2014 7:12 pm

if your car has been sitting for months while you build a turbo, probably a good idea to service your brakes before a cert ...rusty brake discs dont stop very well.

when my car was cert'd, he asked if i'd done anything to the brakes, and i told him "no, just stock brakes and repco pads" he laughed.

for an 1800 i'd go with the axis ultimate or QFM pads (or the X10/8 combo)

Turbo requirements and general advice

Turbo requirements and general advice

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